Homeless man starts fire near church

A homeless man trying to keep warm Thursday morning faces criminal charges after he tried to light a fire inside a storage building and sparked a blaze which damaged a building outside Covenant Fellowship Church on Manchester Highway.

The suspect, Jerry Wayne Barnes, 36, reportedly suffers from mental problems and had just returned to Warren County from where he had been staying in Georgia when the incident happened.

According to sheriff’s reports, Barnes entered a storage building located on the property of Covenant Fellowship Church. Once inside the storage building, which contained a couch and table, Barnes reportedly became cold and decided to try to build a fire inside the small building to keep warm. Barnes used magazines to kindle the fire which soon spread to a couch and table located in the building, causing a blaze inside the building.

Barnes fled and was seen by the church’s pastor as he was responding to the report of a fire on the church grounds. Lawmen soon caught up to Barnes who admitted it was he who set the blaze. Barnes is charged with vandalism and criminal trespassing. The fire caused an estimated $850 in damage to the contents of the storage building.